Friday, 25 October 2002

i don't know what to make of the news about the Canadian woman who tried to sue Air Canada for discrimination against obese people (she said she was humiliated and suffered physically because she couldn't fit into an economy size seat and that her obesity was in fact a disability which was discriminated against)..

i asked my sister (who is a nurse and knows everything about diseases and other such medical stuff) if obesity is a disability (such as blindness and celebral palsy) or if it is largely (i didn't say always) due to a person's eating and lifestyle habits... in which case it cannot really be blamed on genes and society and hence you can't go around sueing people for not accommodating you.... she told me that genetic reasons do play a part but it is mostly due to poor lifestyle habits..

i found something on the net on "Disability Due to Obesity" .. it says that approved obesity-disability cases in the US are entitled to disability payments from the Social Security Administration (SSA) and obese people do have certain civil rights as it is recognised that "obesity is a disease" .. they are covered under this law known as Obesity Law.. umm....

i pity the airlines then.. squeezed (pardon the pun) on all sides... sued by the ones who can't squeeze into the seats and sued by those who are squashed by obese people sitting next to them...

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